Kevin Durant

AUSTIN, Texas — Shaka Smart has been a hot coaching commodity since leading Virginia Commonwealth to the Final Four in 2011. He had reportedly shunned several big-time offers, but the lure of Texas was finally too much to turn down. Texas officials formally announced the hiring of Smart as the Longhorns' new basketball coach Friday and expect to introduce him at a news conference on campus. The announcement from Texas came a day after Smart met with athletic director Steve Patterson in Richmond to strike a deal. Smart met with VCU players Thursday evening at the Siegel Center, the team's home arena, and at least one player was seen crying when he left. ...

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